The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-12
LIFE IN THE STEERAGE.
Man who Hns Had Experience,
Says IL Is No "Sea Picnic"

says III Is y o 'Sca I1CulC.'
A writer in the April outing puts ir
/, plea for the Storage, and advises in
1viduals OF families to whom ''eXpendi
lure is in any important degree con-
'ideration' to travel by that means, as
hey can get to their destination at the
rate of SO a day instead of at $40 day.
"The romance of travel, like the ro-
nance of life, is the rough side of it,"
his writer says. why not regard an
experience IN the steerage as sea pic
lc or bit of marine rusticationP"
A gentleman who made trip in the
Storage of an ocean steamship 'just
for fun read the article in outing with
much interest II wonder if the writer
ever tried steerage passage" he
said to a reporter for this paper. II
think not. The chances are that he
has merely stood on the bridge and
watched the steerage victims in their
pleasanter odd moments, when they are
allowed on deck, and are joyous in
their temporary release from their dark
Imprisonment below. Certainly no man
who had ever been steerage passen
ger in reality would recommend such
m experiment to any but lost soul
who had only that means OF escape
from some dread calamity. A Storage
passage! Great heavens! Does the
writer realize the full meaning of his
adviceP Now let me tell you what n
Storage is like. A long, low, dark
room, dimly illuminated during the day
by struggling rays through the thick
"head lights" against which the wa
tiers swash continually, and at night
by smoky lantern whose cherries
rays only add to the cherries gloom.
A long broad table, few round stools
constitute the only furniture. Along
the sides are ranged two or three tiers
of open hunks against the damp ship
timbers, for the room is mostly below
he water line.
Here are gathered promiscuously
men, women, and children, herded to-
gether like animals rather than human
beings in their miserable quarters, and
in their forced CONTINENT modesty is
soon forgotten, The ventilation at best
is but scant, and the exhalations from
the perspiring bodies and their not
overclean garments, together with the
reeking timbers, the odor OF pitch, the
musty beLdings, the steam from the
food and the fumes from old tobacco
pipes, render the atmosphere foul,
sitting, and nauseating in the extreme.
which is by no means clarified in case
of violent weather when sickness is
common. The only escape from the
uninyiting pen is when the victims are
allowed on deck. In pleasant weather
life on deck is enjoyable and full OF
interest
THE menu of the Storage usually
includes soup in tin kettles, coarse
meats, hash, ill boiled potatoes, and
broken bread from the cabin table.
This food is served in tin dishpans. Tea
and coffee are passed around in buckets,
the principal difference between them
being that the tea is less thick and mud
dy than the coffee. The whole mess is
slung pell-mell on the table and the
passengers make dive and grab. The
number of tin plates and cups, iron
knives and forks, and tin spoons is
limited. He or she who fails to secure
supply of dishes at the first grab
must simply wait until some luckier in
dividual finishes. There being no pos
sible opportunity to wash the utensils,
they must be used as they are, except
such cleaning as could be done by scrar'
ing off with the knife.
Then there is another matter that
claims attention. No facilities are pro-
vided for bathing. The steerage passen-
ger may wash his hands and face in
the common washdish on deck. but
hats all. Under such conditions bugs
and vermin thrive apace, and the less
one is inclined TO tolerate them the
more they are determined to grow in
innate, and their increase is only deter
mined by the length of the voyage. -